Hi,To travel in East Europe is not so easily.From Bucharest,Romania, to Bulgaria the road is good enough with two lane on sense but there is no traffic indicator with Bulgarian border.So if someone has not a GPS receiver he must look for Giurgiu indicator.In the nearness of Giurgiu a small indicator shows the road to the border.At the border I paid Romanian bridge tax(25 RON which means almost 6 Euros,at returning from Bulgaria I paid 2 Euros only).Then as slow as a snail I cross the Danube river

On the Bulgarian bank there is a town named Ruse.The road goes to South toward the Rhodope mountains.Here in Ruse it have to pay the road tax(vignette).I avoided local currency paying with a credit card-Visa and Master Card are always available-at official change rate.Sometimes in the nearness of the towns the road are two lane on sense and it can avoid the center.This seems to be rather an exception than the rule(like in Romania,of course).

I booked a double-bed room at a hotel with parking-car in Plovdiv on a street known by my Garmin GPS.I found one with air-conditioner and shower for 31 Euro/night with breakfast included.All seemed to be right...on paper.When I arrived the bedclothes were unchanged and the air-conditioner worked as fun only.I asked another room and then all seemed to be right.At the reception there were no city maps or descriptions of cultural sites so we,walked around only.The TV in Bulgarian was not interested for us so being tired my wife and me got to sleep.Below you could see one of the Plovdiv entrance.

In the morning,at breakfast,three or four tables were occupied.No seeds,no fruits,bread only with eggs fried together with white or yellow cheese put over.I forgot a black cofee for me and a tea for my wife.Of course I was prepared for such kind of trip with drink water and fruits.After we finished to eat I drove toward Bachkovo Monastery.The road passes through Assenovgrad(the town of Assen).Here there are,on a hill,the ruins of a fortress from 13th century used by Tsar Assen the Second in the struggles with Byzantine Empire.(Merry Christmas!)

A small sign indicated the car-road toward Assen fortress.The place of the ruins is not surrounded with a fence,there is no entrance gate,no tickets-office,no notification about the value of a ticket.There was a "he" and...a "she" who ask me for 1.5 Euros/person.After I asked their accreditation they became nervously running towards us to hit.I took off my against animals big spray and they stopped and became quietly.So we renounced to visit the ruins because to call the police is not the rightest solution in Bulgaria,on a peak of a hill through the ruins without other tourists around.Below is an image from the road toward the ruins(A HAPPY NEW YEAR)

After such event I returned to the road toward Bachkovo and in short time I arrived.Because was early in the morning the parking-car was empty and for 0.50 Euros(1 Lev) I left the car all day.The road to monastery was full,on both sides,of kiosks where the visitors find souvenirs,traditional sweets,sausages,and so on.

Grigorii Bakuriani(in Bulgarian language)is the same with Georgian-Armenian Prince Grigor Pakurian,a military commander in the Byzantine Empire service at 11th century.He participated at a coup to remove the Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros III.The new emperor gave him many properties in Balkans.He ruled the Theme of Iberia(a territory which now gets to Armenia and Georgia).He built Bachkovo Monastery(it could mean,probably,monastery of Bakuriani,the similitude between Bachkovo and Bakuriani being visible) and gave it to Iberian monks.At the entrance of the monastery a small notification says to the tourists that using the cameras is prohibited.In many churches from Orthodox Christian World is prohibited to use the camera during the divine service as a form of respect.

Over the entrance is written"Stavropigia SvBogoroditsa"Stavropegia or Stavropigia says to visitors that this monastery is directly under patriarch rule,Sv Bogoroditsa means The Holy Mother Of the God.About the origin of Grigorii Bakuriani it is generally accepted he was Georgian although he signed in both Georgian and Armenian languages but never in Greek.He was buried here in Bachkovo

Due to my involving in the political events of the year 2012,by photography,of course,I interrupted this story of the short trip where my GPS didn't know the road.In any photographs I should try to show you why,although this kind of shots are not what LUMINOUS LANDSCAPE means,excuse me for that!

Of course is hard to believe that the arrival of Georgian monks from byzantine Iberia has no link with the conquering of Iberia Theme by Seljuk Turks in 1o68.In fact it can say that in 11th century begun the migration of Georgians and Armenians toward East and Central Europe and then in West Europe and farther,this monastery being one of the first sign of their passing.They ruled the monastery until 13th c.when they lost the domination in the favor of Bulgarians but Georgian tradition was kept.The Ottoman Turks burned and destroyed the monastery which was rebuilt in the beginning of the 17th c.in the present form

When a foreigner visits such place(being pilgrim or visitor only) the need to take photos is active.There are many holy places where to take shots is free of charge or a small tax is asked.At Bachkovo,all shots are prohibited.There are many observers-not only monks-who stop every movement which could mean to photograph.Of course when the camera is a big one,to move gets harder.when I took this image which shows you a quiet place with a nun of Missionaries of Charity Order visiting this place,there was a monk behind me,on the floor,who cries at an civil observer to watch me carefully (they didn't know I understood Bulgarian a few). My first impulse was to shot both of them looking and crying at me but my wife strongly opposed, reminded me that our goal was to pray.I don't dare to advise you about taking shots in such conditions but,however,I tell you what I did:didn't lift the camera to the eyes,discover the observers or surveillance cameras,take a distance from them because the noise of camera could be detected,use a remote control from the pocket,use a wide angle lens.If these are not enough then a mobile phone is a good help.

There is a difference between the meaning of "decent dressed"on the street and in the Orthodox church or monastery.Here in Bachkovo - where to photograph is prohibited - it is not.One of the reason of such prohibition could be to... protect the image of the visitors!!?